Saturday, April 30, 2011

The universe's reaction to the royal wedding

Coming to a halt: Despite the early start, thousands gathered in New York's Times Square to watch the ceremony on the big screens

Proudly republican America predictably led the charge as the world celebrated the royal wedding with wall-to-wall media coverage and celebrations as far away as Antarctica and even outer space.

The event drew an estimated two billion television viewers around the world, with many broadcasters scheduling royal-themed programmes long into the day.

Some of the biggest names in US broadcasting, including Barbara Walters, Katie Couric and Diane Sawyer, had decamped to London in an operation comparable in scale to a presidential election.

Big fans: Mardi Cockburn, left, and Margo Flewelling hold up their flag showing the Royal couple at Old Government House in Fredericton, New Brunswick

Personal greeting: These astronauts at the International Space Station sent a celebratory message to the couple

Molly Davis, left, and Amanda D'Aquila joined the large crowd in Times Square to watch the royal wedding on the screens

Aided by squads of British analysts, they provided American viewers with advice on such crucial etiquette questions as who will now courtesy to whom as well as the inevitable minute dissections of the wedding dress.

The royal theme continued on many channels with daytime show hosts and audiences alike wearing hats and tiaras in studios kitted out in Union flags and suits of armour.

Better weather than London: Under cloudless skies, hundreds of Britons watched a live broadcast of the ceremony on a beach in the Gulf emirate of Dubai

The ABC network even found their own all-American William and Kate to marry on air. However, the presenters on the American morning talk show The View marred the celebrations with controversial comments.

Comedian Joy Behar said the Queen had dressed like a 'bumble bee' while comedian Sherri Shepherd asked 'where are all the black people?'

There were wedding parties, often accompanied by full English breakfast, across the US.

Hundreds gathered in New York’s Times Square, waving Union flags and wearing fancy hats, to watch on a giant TV screen.

In the swing of things: These four Brits model masks of the Royal family as others watch events unfold at Westminster Abbey

'It brought tears to my eyes,' said Heather Mauro, 28, an occupational therapist. 'Everything was perfect, prim and proper, just like the English do.'

More than 250 guests wore prince and princess attire to watch the event in the wedding pavilion at Walt Disney World in Florida.

About 220 miles above Earth, NASA broadcast TV coverage of the royal wedding live to the international space station where the crew watched it and sent a congratulatory message to the couple.

Party time: Members of the 4SCOTS pose with a wedding cake (and the happy couple) made by army caterers in Helmand province

Time out: Soldiers from across the Army took time off from their duties in Kabul, Afghanistan, to enjoy a drink during the wedding ceremony

Cheers! Expatriates raise a glass to the Duke and Duchess as they watch the wedding on a TV in Kabul

Down in Antarctica, British scientists battled outside in high winds to toast them at the Halley survey station.

France could have been expected to be more lukewarm, especially given the Sarkozys’ absence from the guest list.

But despite complaints from L’Express newspaper that ‘not one Frenchie is invited to the wedding of the century’, the Gallic media gave the wedding top billing with all major TV channels providing live coverage.

Fancy dress: One reveller in Sydney, Australia, used the occasion to don their best Prince Charles mask

Wedding reception: Dressed in their best dresses, crowns and other royal theme costumes, party-goers at Sydney's Lord Dudley hotel, react as they watch the wedding

Dressed for the occasion: People drink champagne from the bottle as they concentrate on the wedding at the Palace Theatre in Ontario, Canada

Something to remember: These two women take photos of others at an early morning breakfast at a hotel in Nova Scotia

We remember the last one: Elderly residents of this retirement home in Hamburg watch events unfold on the TV

Tear-jerker: Two women can barely contain their delight as they watch the wedding at a shopping centre in Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong

In one of countless ex-pat wedding parties around the globe, British residents of Rome gathered to watch events on a giant TV screen and eat specially-made Sicilian chocolates decorated with images of the couple.

In Germany, wedding fans had to take the day off to watch it as employers enforced a strict ban on following it on workplace TVs and computers.

Bild newspaper bemoaned the sorry state of German nobility on its front page, pointing out the '25 most embarrassing' to its readers and asking; 'Why don't we have royals like the Windsors?'

Not missing out: These British tourists in the Turkish city of Aydin watched the ceremony in a local cafe

Patriotic: Three women show off their Union Flag dresses and William and Kate bags in a pub in Aydin

Formal affair: British Ambassador to Romania Martin Harris and his family watch the Royal Wedding at the British embassy

At Tsinghua University in China nearly 200 couples tied the knot at a collective wedding ceremony that coincided with events in London.

The international joy was not universal. The Iranian state news channel groused that the “people of this monarchical country” were having to pay for the "most expensive" royal wedding in British history at a time of “economic stagnation”.

It added: 'The people of this country are forced to work around-the-clock so that princesses can pile up cash.'